Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has been branded a “disgrace” for refusing to address the biggest teachers’ union.

As the election looms, the NASUWT thought Ms Morgan would welcome the chance to talk to teachers at its conference in Cardiff over Easter.

It is the second time this year the Tory has snubbed the 300,000-strong union, after pulling out of an event in February.

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said: “It is quite frankly disgraceful that throughout this parliament, the Secretary of State for Education has not once had the courtesy or courage to face the conference of the largest teachers’ union in the UK.”

A Department for Education spokesman said Ms Morgan will speak at the National Association of Head Teachers and Association of School and College Leaders’ conferences.

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Every year since the Tory-led Coalition came to power in 2010 the NASUWT has sent an invitation for the Education Secretary to speak and every time it has been declined.

Teachers were hoping she would address issues such as workload, pay and the government’s controversial school reforms.

Now Chris Keates has written a strong-worded letter to Ms Morgan berating her for dodging the conference.

In February Ms Morgan was due to speak at the NASUWT equality after accepting an invitation several months earlier.

Her office contacted organisers to say she could only speak in the afternoon rather than the morning and the programme was rearranged to accommodate her, but she pulled out the day before.

The other big union for classroom teachers, the National Union of Teachers (NUT) does not invite the Education Secretary.